Baltimore County's code does not textually require the STR to be the host's primary residence, but it bars licensing accessory dwelling units and units already holding a long-term rental license. Each unit is designated hosted or un-hosted on the application, and both types are permitted.
Baltimore County Code 35-6-202(C) prohibits issuing a short-term rental license for a dwelling or unit that has a long-term rental license under Subtitle 1, including a dwelling in an apartment complex, or for an accessory dwelling unit. The code does not, in its adopted text, impose an explicit primary-residence-only mandate; instead it distinguishes hosted units (host resides on the property during the rental) from un-hosted units (host does not reside there), and requires the application to designate which applies (35-6-201, 35-6-204(A)(4)). Both hosted and un-hosted rentals may be licensed. Note that the county has publicly described new operations as primary-residence-focused, but the operative statutory restriction in the enacted subtitle is the ADU/long-term-license bar, not a bright-line owner-occupancy rule.
Attempting to license an ineligible unit (an ADU or a long-term-licensed unit) results in denial; fraudulently obtaining a license is grounds for suspension or revocation under 35-6-213.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Home backyard composting is allowed in Baltimore County and supported through the Bureau of Solid Waste Management. The county collects yard trim (leaves, gr...
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Baltimore County has no ordinance banning residential artificial turf. Installation is governed by general zoning, lot-coverage, and stormwater rules, since ...
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Native and pollinator plantings are permitted in Baltimore County and encouraged for Bay-friendly landscaping, but tall native beds must still respect the 8-...
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Rain barrels and rainwater harvesting are legal in Baltimore County and encouraged as stormwater best-management practices. Maryland has no statute banning r...
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Maryland has no year-round mandatory watering ban; restrictions follow drought conditions set by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). As of 2026...
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Baltimore County's weed ordinance (Code 13-7-401) bars grass, weeds, or other rank vegetation over 8 inches tall. Noxious weeds are separately regulated stat...
See how Baltimore County's primary-residence-only rule rules stack up against other locations.
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